Road trip!

Friday morning at 5:30 am, we headed into the dark for our first road trip in our Nissan.

We started out with dark chocolate covered espresso beans for the grown ups and baby carrots and sesame sticks for the child. The types of food allowed in the Nissan... Is limited.

We drove to the suburbs of Baltimore where we met my college roommate and her young boys for a delightful breakfast of popovers, blueberry muffins, fruit, eggs and bacon fresh from the butcher.

From there we headed into DC where we headed down to the Mall (no cherry blossoms yet) and bought the child ice cream from a food truck (and I got an egg roll).

Dinner was Salai Thai. My daughter loved their pineapple chicken last time since it came in a pineapple... And so she requested a return visit. Our party had a tofu appetizer that was quite melt-in-your mouth.

I had scallops and I don't remember the sauce/preparation. They were spicy in a big way, which was sooo good, but the scallops themselves were not as tender as I had hoped yet not tough either.

We had brought our host food gifts of zaatar bread, Tunisian Harissa and chocolate halawa. I believe he enjoyed them.

In the morning we went to PAUL. Spoke some French, ate lots of pastry.

Our final meal in DC was pitas at Cava Mezza grill near the DC City Target. Fun stuff-- organic food locally sourced.

On the way home we stopped at Cracker Barrel where I did something crazy-- I got the sampler platter instead of one of my favorites. This allowed me to try the chicken and dumplings, ham AND meatloaf. Surprisingly I liked the ham best and the meatloaf, while perfectly adequate, didn't hit the spot. Then I had a molasses sundae. That was fun.

Daughter had the chocolate coca cola cake. That was one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever eaten.

Lunches

Child packed a lunch today of last night's leftovers, cashews, apple and carrots.

I got home from shopping and wrapped myself this bread-less sandwich of ham, havarti cheese, turkey and romaine.

Thai broccoli mix

Total cop out dinner. Somehow I keep ending up with empty cupboards...

So tonight I took a head of fresh broccoli and sautéed it in sesame and coconut oil. I then added, directly to the skillet, a carton of Archer Farms Thai curry soup.

I served this over brown rice, with a handful of raw cashews on each portion. Very delightful.

Summary

Haven't made anything stellar in the last few days-- but used a pie crust to make this pastie like creation of sausage-meatballs and spinach dip filling. It was so good I got a small sliver of it, what I tasted to make sure it was properly cooked. The family ate it all before I got home from work.

Yesterday we had sandwiches. Mine was on a big hunk of baguette with turkey, vegetarian bacon, romaine, homemade apple butter and red delicious apple slices that I microwaved a few seconds to soften them.

Sweet potato oat waffles

I can't provide a recipe for these almost vegan waffles because I didn't measure and I didn't record. Looks like cooking time is about five minutes each in the Belgian waffle maker.

Approximately:
- 1 package steam in bag spiced sweet potatoes from Archer Farms (or pumpkin)
- cinnamon
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 cup almond milk
- about 1/3 cup coconut oil,warm
- 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
- 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup organic flour
- 1 cup oats
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons flax
- 1/4 cup water
- pinch ginger
- brown sugar
- local raw honey

So far they taste great but they are sticking more than my waffles normally do

FAIL

They stick to the waffle iron no matter what, so I put them in the skillet to make pancakes. They burned on the outside instantly and stay all goo inside.

Probably should have baked it like a cake, because it tastes great. They are just in hash/ scramble form.

I bunched them into balls and baked them in the oven until cake like and my daughter went crazy over them.

I told her they were a failure and she ate them like they were the best thing ever.

Apple nut butter crêpes

Crêpes:
- 1 large tablespoon local raw honey
- 1 cup vanilla almond milk
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons ground flax
- 1/4 cup sourgum flour
- 2 eggs

Cooked in a cast iron skillet in coconut oil.

Filling:
- chopped gala apples, skin still on
- tablespoon of quince jam
- teaspoon fresh ground cinnamon
- teaspoon local raw honey
- dollop coconut oil for the bottom of the saucepan

Cook until soft but still crisp.

Spread some nut butter on each crêpe before filling with apples.

My nut butter was homemade almond-cashew butter.

Leftovers in vodka sauce

Dance Friday night. Husband home sick. I'm trying to write my thesis. Child must be fed.

I took one bag of Bertolli dinner for 2 chicken in vodka sauce (I had a coupon) and promptly followed the directions. Now, the directions suggested frying for three minutes in high in a non-stick skillet and then reducing heat for six more minutes.

Try this is a cast iron Le Creuset skillet and you get an overheated pan with pasta caked to it, even if you cook it stir-fry style.

I added a generous dose of coconut oil before the pasta/sauce bricks because I foresaw this. But I should have never put the heat over medium on my baby. I call my skillet baby.

I added to this mix:
- fresh spinach
- frozen peas
- one chicken breast stuffed with crab meat leftover from my husband's dinner out with his parents (chopped)

And that made it delightful.

But I gotta say, for the price, their dinner for two would have left me hungry and disappointed. Though the vodka sauce was dead on.